MAM
Adrienne O’Hara appointed chief communications and public affairs officer at Discovery Global
CALIFORNIA: Discovery Global has named Adrienne O’Hara as executive vice president and chief communications and public affairs officer, effective 7 January 2026. In the newly created role, O’Hara will report to Gunnar Wiedenfels, president and CEO, and oversee all global communications and public affairs as the company readies itself to operate independently following the planned spin-off from Warner Bros. Discovery.
O’Hara brings 20 years of experience leading communications strategy for Fortune 500 companies, most recently serving as senior vice president of global communications and engagement at Gap Inc., where she guided enterprise communications, stakeholder engagement and brand reinvigoration across a $15 billion portfolio. She has previously led communications for Old Navy and spent over a decade at Toys“R”Us, navigating restructuring, acquisitions and rebranding initiatives.
At Discovery Global, O’Hara will drive corporate, financial, employee, executive, brand and crisis communications, alongside public affairs and stakeholder engagement. Her remit is central to shaping the company’s narrative, elevating employee experience and enhancing brand impact across a portfolio reaching 1.1 billion viewers in 68 languages across 200 countries.
“Adrienne is a proven leader with deep experience guiding iconic branded portfolios through transformation and change,” said Gunnar Wiedenfels. O’Hara added, “Discovery Global has an extraordinary portfolio and a clear opportunity to redefine its market positioning. I look forward to partnering with Gunnar and the global team to shape the company’s story and drive growth.”
With O’Hara on board, Discovery Global moves closer to its next chapter, a standalone global media powerhouse with unmatched reach in live television, sports, news and streaming, poised to scale its digital offerings and international footprint aggressively.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
